Smoke tainted grapes

[The Baker]

Watching 'Landline' on Australian ABC Television. (I believe you can see it on your computer or whatever).
There was a segment on smoke tainted (from the recent widespread bushfires) grapes being rejected for winemaking.
They also showed a distiller taking wine made from those grapes.
He said spirit with a smoky flavour or a peaty flavour is made, for example whiskey and he mentioned others I think.

So he is making a smoky brandy. Which he thinks might be a world first, using the tainted grapes.
I wonder if it is good as is or maybe he dilutes it a bit with 'clean' brandy?

As the presenter said, 'If life gives you lemons, make lemonade'.

This has been on my mind for a while but I was over-thinking it (not unusual).
I was thinking about grappa; but if they did not make a wine in the first place there would be no pomace!
(Though if the final decision to reject the WINE was not made until the wine was finished there would be both wine and pomace).

Geoff

[Oldvine Zin]

I think that it was about 12 years ago that we had some massive wildfires near one of the vineyards in Oregon that we purchase cab sauv grapes from. Well that fruit produced a very distinct Cabernet, not bad but definitely different. Quite a few times while pouring that wine at tastings I would get asked about that unfamiliar note on the palette, I would then explain about the wildfire and I would say that 99% of the tasters then got the smokey notes and most of them would order a case or two of it.

Stay safe
OVZ